New Post
Search
Help[Surname] Bravve
I found this surname on a Russian person (Бравве in Russian Cyrillic). It doesn't look very Russian I'm assuming it's a Russified surname. If I'm correct, what is the original surname, and what's it's usage, and what do it mean?
1
Replies
I could not find a reliable source for this specific name, but based its spelling and sparse distribution on Forebears' Russian map, I also strongly suspect a foreign source. As for the double 'в', my theory is that it comes from a transcription of an adjacent 'v' and 'w' sound or from an 'au' diphthong preceding 'v'.
I did find two Bravves on a voter list from Vitebsk in 1912 (modern-day Belarus but part of the Russian Empire at the time) named Shaya Yankelevich Bravve and Vul'f Shmuylovich Bravve. Here is the search link (might be behind paywall): https://www.ancestry.ca/search/?name=_Бравве&name_x=_1&record_f=_5034. Based on the names and fact that Vitebsk was around 52% Jewish around that time, these individuals were almost certainly Jews. Unfortunately, those were the earliest records I could find.
I also found a Russian message board on which someone claims her grandfather was political exile in Krasnoyarsk here: https://vk.com/topic-2391918_3450441. Given the timeframe and the lack of specifics, they could descend from the family in Vitebsk.
As for the original name, I can only speculate, but I do suspect the original name was either Dutch "Brouwer" or German "Brauwer" which both mean "brewer" (note "Brouwer" is used in Germany as well). As many Jews were fleeing Germany during the 19th century while those in the Netherlands largely prospered, and the transcription is more in line with the modern German pronunciation (IPA: /ˈbraʊ̯.vɐ/), I think they would have most likely been German in this case.
I did find two Bravves on a voter list from Vitebsk in 1912 (modern-day Belarus but part of the Russian Empire at the time) named Shaya Yankelevich Bravve and Vul'f Shmuylovich Bravve. Here is the search link (might be behind paywall): https://www.ancestry.ca/search/?name=_Бравве&name_x=_1&record_f=_5034. Based on the names and fact that Vitebsk was around 52% Jewish around that time, these individuals were almost certainly Jews. Unfortunately, those were the earliest records I could find.
I also found a Russian message board on which someone claims her grandfather was political exile in Krasnoyarsk here: https://vk.com/topic-2391918_3450441. Given the timeframe and the lack of specifics, they could descend from the family in Vitebsk.
As for the original name, I can only speculate, but I do suspect the original name was either Dutch "Brouwer" or German "Brauwer" which both mean "brewer" (note "Brouwer" is used in Germany as well). As many Jews were fleeing Germany during the 19th century while those in the Netherlands largely prospered, and the transcription is more in line with the modern German pronunciation (IPA: /ˈbraʊ̯.vɐ/), I think they would have most likely been German in this case.
2
It is probably a variation of Brave. If this information is correct, the usage is Dutch and its nickname derived from the adjective braaf meaning “righteous” or “virtuous” or perhaps from the same word in the older sense which means “courageous” or “brave” according to Ancestry.com
This message was edited 1/4/2025, 8:03 PM
0